


scared of pretty girls and starting conversations

by sylviewashere



Series: junksen week [2]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: (only by default), F/F, Friends With Benefits, Junksen Week, no smut just fluff, side bechloe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 14:11:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15608013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sylviewashere/pseuds/sylviewashere
Summary: Aubrey tries to find a friends with benefits to, in Chloe's words, "blow off some steam". Although, benefits might not be defined clearly enough.





	scared of pretty girls and starting conversations

**Author's Note:**

> for junksen week day 3: friends with benefits
> 
> (it's barely a fwb au, but can you really blame me?)

Aubrey sighs to herself as she flips through her textbook, which she has no interest in reading at the moment. Her head aches from stress, and she’s pretty sure that the English language is fake a this point in her studying, because everything she reads just looks like gibberish. Reflexively, she picks up her phone and opens Tinder. 

Which, honestly, she can’t even believe she’s actually doing. But she blames Chloe for her recent affinity for the app. 

Like, she didn’t even  _ ask  _ for Chloe’s opinion, but her roommate gladly gave it to her anyway. Said something about her being “too stressed” and “majorly needing to blow off some steam”. Chloe’s solution to any sort of stress was to call her girlfriend and bang one out. But Aubrey didn’t have the time or patience to deal with a relationship right now. 

“So? Just find a fuckbuddy.” 

“Classy.” 

“Fine. Find a friend with benefits. No strings attached. Perfect distraction. Simple.” 

And that lead to Chloe stealing Aubrey’s phone and downloading Tinder. Chloe really wanted to help Aubrey write her bio, but Aubrey quickly shut her down. There was no way she’d let Chloe Beale handle something like that. 

So far, Aubrey had no luck. Maybe she’s being a little too picky, but it’s hard not to constantly swipe left when there are eighty girls in a row who are just looking for a threesome with their ugly boyfriend. And the girls that Aubrey does actually swipe right on never seem to message her. 

Okay, maybe Aubrey should actually message first, but how do you  _ do  _ that? Apparently, every gay girl in the area has this inability to make the first move as well, so Aubrey’s messages stay empty.

And then, as she’s swiping absentmindedly, barely even glancing at the profiles for more than a few seconds, a notification pops up. 

A notification for a  _ message. _

Holy shit. 

Aubrey sucks in a breath and goes to her messages. She doesn’t open it yet, but a quick glance at the tiny smiling avatar and the name sparks her memory. 

Emily. 

If Aubrey remembers right, it’s been about a week since Aubrey swiped right on Emily. And she definitely remembers the big letters that say “It’s a match!” popping up at the time. Of course, she didn’t message right away. There’s no need to be too eager. She tries to recall what Emily’s bio said, decides to just read Emily’s message instead: 

**[Emily]:** Hey!!! Sorry I took like forever to respond after we matched! My life has been super crazy lately with classes and stuff 

**[Emily]:** But enough about me! What’s up with you?? 

Aubrey hesitates for a moment. She’s never actually gotten this far. After hovering her fingers over her keyboard for a solid three minutes, she just decides to stop overthinking and answer. 

**[Aubrey]:** Pretty stressed with school. That’s really what I should be doing now, but here I am instead. What else has got your life so crazy?

Emily’s response comes almost immediately, which makes Aubrey chuckle a little. At least Emily isn’t afraid to seem excited. 

**[Emily]:** I’m sorry you’re stressed! :( You said you were studying law in your bio, right? Sounds like you could use a distraction

**[Emily]:** Oh, nothing too out of the ordinary I guess. Just trying to balance a part time job and school, along with trying to keep up my songwriting. 

**[Emily]:** Plus, I just got a hamster

Aubrey smiles when Emily sends a picture of her holding the tiny hamster. Emily’s giving it a kiss on it’s little head. They talk a little bit longer; Aubrey asks Emily about her songwriting and gets a very passionate response, which makes Aubrey satisfied with her decision to keep up the conversation. 

She tries to get back to her studying, but the occasional buzz of the notification for another message keeps pulling her out of her textbook again. Somehow, the conversation turned to their favorite T.V. shows, and Emily is currently rambling on about  _ New Girl.  _

The door opens, and Aubrey quickly flips her phone over so Chloe won’t have the chance to flood her with questions. Chloe’s asking her how the studying is going, when Aubrey hears her phone buzz about three times in a row. Chloe raises an eyebrow. 

“Texting someone?” 

“Sort of.” 

“Sort of?” Chloe gasps. “Aubrey, did you finally start talking to someone?”

“No. Maybe. Yes.” 

“Yes, girl! Give me the dirty deets.” 

“There aren’t any ‘dirty deets’ yet, Chloe,” Aubrey huffs. “We just started talking today.”

The phone buzzes again. Chloe laughs. “Sorry, I should let you take those very important messages, Aubs.” 

Aubrey rolls her eyes, but Chloe doesn’t miss the small smile that pulls at Aubrey’s lips when she glances at her phone. “Mind your own business, Chloe.” 

“Your business is my business, babe,” Chloe chirps. “I’m ordering food, tell me your order when you’re done talking to your new plaything.” 

It’s only then that Aubrey realizes that she hasn’t even made any sort of move to ask Emily about...hooking up. That was the whole point of this anyway. But she’s kind of gotten distracted just talking to Emily for the past few hours that she hasn’t even thought about it. 

To Aubrey’s surprise, Emily actually ends up asking to meet for coffee tomorrow morning. It’s not exactly what Aubrey initially had in mind (Chloe had told her that Tinder would probably end up in a handful of one night stands), but she agrees and they set up a time. 

Aubrey feels like this is getting into going on a date territory, which is not the kind of distraction she wants right now. But she didn’t remember Emily saying anything about looking for something serious in her bio. Maybe Emily just wants to check Aubrey out before they hook up. Make sure she’s not a creep or anything. That seems reasonable. 

Chloe has to threaten to take Aubrey’s phone away so she’ll stop talking to Emily when she needs to be studying that night. 

//

So, Aubrey knew Emily was pretty. She saw her profile pictures and even spent a little bit of time scrolling through her Instagram. (Chloe called it  _ stalking;  _ Aubrey called it  _ research. _ ) But literally no amount of research could have prepared Aubrey for how absolutely fucking radiant Emily is in person. 

Aubrey is there first, but Emily walks in right on time - punctuality is a must for Aubrey always. When she makes eye contact with Aubrey she greets her with the most beautiful smile Aubrey’s ever seen in her life. 

“Hi, Aubrey! I’m Emily. But I guess you knew that. It’s so nice to meet you. I mean, I kind of feel like I already know you so well because of how long we talked! Like, I don’t even know my roommate’s favorite T.V. show, but I know yours is Parks and Rec. And you know mine is New Girl! I had like such a good time talking to you last night. I’m sorry if I was distracting though. My mom says that I talk a lot and don’t know when to stop.” Aubrey smiles as the way Emily is doing exactly what she’s apologizing for, along with waving her hands around animatedly as she speaks. Emily notices Aubrey’s expression and drops her hands to her side, face falling a bit. “Oh, I’m doing it right now. Sorry.” 

“You apologize too much,” Aubrey points out. “It’s totally fine. If I had a problem with you talking to me while I was studying, I would’ve just blocked you.” 

Emily takes Aubrey’s bluntness in stride and laughs. Aubrey tries to ignore the way her chest flutters at the sound. “That’s a good point. How’d your studying go?” 

Aubrey shrugs. “Not great, but I’ve been studying for like a week straight. So it was probably good to take a break.” 

They spend about an hour in the shop talking. Most of the conversation is dominated by Emily, but every time she starts going on one of her little rambles, she apologizes. Aubrey always insists that she continue with what she was saying, which makes Emily give her a shy smile before she starts talking again. 

Emily always prompts Aubrey with questions at the end of her long winded explanations. And the way she looks at Aubrey is with such genuine curiosity that Aubrey doesn’t feel as guarded as she usually does, and she can feel some of the built up tension leave her body. 

When Aubrey gets back to the apartment, Chloe doesn’t even look up from her laptop before stating, “You know, I’ve never had a morning hookup from Tinder. Does she have like, night classes or something?” 

“What?” Aubrey makes a face as she sits in her chair across from Chloe. “We didn’t hook up. We just talked and got coffee.” 

“So you went on a date.” 

“No.”

“That’s a date, babe.” 

“Not really.” 

“Yes really. That’s like, more than half of the first dates I’ve ever been on.” Aubrey just shakes her head. “I’m not trying to invade -”

“That’s hilarious.” 

“Okay,” Chloe gives her a weak smile. “I am trying to invade. But I know you said you didn’t want to date right now. I’m just looking out for you, Aubs.” 

“Thank you, Chloe. But I know what I want. This isn’t like actual dating, though. We just went out for coffee.” 

Chloe makes a face like she’s not so sure, but she drops the subject after Aubrey insists she’s got everything under control. But with the way that Aubrey talks about Emily so fondly after only seeing her  _ once,  _ Chloe’s placing her bets on Aubrey getting more than she bargained for. 

//

The next time Aubrey sees Emily is the following weekend. Emily shoots her a message casually asking Aubrey if she wanted to come over and watch a movie. Aubrey’s mind swims with possibilities, because this could definitely lead to what she was after in the first place. Her stomach flips a little with anticipation and the thought of running her hands along Emily’s body. 

She makes sure to put on her matching set of lace underwear before she leaves. 

Emily’s dorm is comfortable enough. Aubrey notes that Emily’s side of the room is a little more cluttered than her (absent) roommate’s, but something about it feels homey. Polaroid pictures hang over her bed, pinned to sparkling fairy lights. 

Emily is a doting host, asking Aubrey about fifty times if she’s thirsty or if the pillows aren’t comfortable enough or if she needs a blanket. Aubrey tries not to grin at Emily’s scrambling to find a suitable blanket for them. 

It’s been a long time since Aubrey has just casually been so close to a person, so Emily leaning into her side as they watch The Princess Diaries has her holding her breath for a good portion of the movie. (Chloe would say that she’s touch-starved; Aubrey would tell her to fuck off.)

Aubrey doesn’t pay any attention to the movie - she’s seen it a thousand times anyway. She’s too focused on overthinking to the point of insanity. Every brush of Emily’s skin against her own has her wondering if she should make a move. Maybe a hand on Emily’s thigh or leaning in and kissing Emily’s neck - just the thought of which makes Aubrey’s head spin. 

After about an hour, Aubrey feels something heavy on her shoulder. She turns away from the screen and finds Emily with her head pressed into Aubrey’s neck, fast asleep. Aubrey finally relaxes. She carefully moves so she doesn’t disturb Emily, which doesn’t seem likely since Emily’s snoring softly now. Once Aubrey’s adjusted so they’re both more comfortable, leaning back against Emily’s many pillows, she goes back to watching the movie until her eyes start drooping and she dozes off as well. 

When one of Aubrey’s many alarms (she sets them so she remembers to eat during long study sessions) startles both of them awake, Emily apologizes profusely for falling asleep. 

“It’s okay. I probably needed a nap anyway. Plus your bed is comfy.”  _ And you’re really warm and cute when you’re sleeping,  _ Aubrey thinks, but she doesn’t dare say that out loud. 

They check the time and Aubrey mumbles something about it being late and that she should probably head home. But Emily stops her with an arm around her waist, pulling her back to the bed. 

“Wait, it’s pitch black out, and you’re still only half awake. You can’t drive home like this.” Emily’s voice scratchy from being asleep, and Aubrey has to tell herself it isn’t the cutest and most attractive thing she’s ever heard. “Stay over.” 

“I couldn’t impose - ”

“You’re not! I promise. Plus, I’ll worry about you driving this late.”  Aubrey’s chest fills with warmth at the sentiment, and she slips back into Emily’s bed with her. 

How could she say no?

//

“Chloe! I’ll be back later. Don’t wait up.” Aubrey calls into the kitchen. 

“Where’s she going? A nerd convention?” Aubrey hears Beca, Chloe’s girlfriend, ask. 

“Nah, probably off to canoodle with her girlfriend, Emily.” 

“Don’t say canoodle.” 

Aubrey pauses for a second, then steps back into the apartment, heels clicking on the hardwood as she enters the kitchen. “Chloe, for the last time, she’s not my girlfriend.” 

“Ooo,” Beca teases. “Someone’s in trouble.” 

“You stay out of this, gremlin,” Aubrey glares at Beca. 

“Sorry, Aubrey, I know it’s not official yet - ”

“There’s no yet. I told you, I don’t want to date right now.” 

“You said that a month and like, twenty dates ago,” Chloe smirks. “Just admit that you have feelings for her.” 

“I don’t have time for this,” Aubrey huffs. She glances at her phone to make sure she won’t miss her and Emily’s dinner reservations. 

“What, going to be late to your  _ date  _ with Emily?” 

“It’s not a date. We’re friends, we’re just going out to eat.” 

“Going out to eat, or going to eat out?” Chloe laughs at her own joke. Aubrey resists throwing her purse at her, but her face immediately flushes. She doesn’t know if it’s with anger or embarrassment. Beca raises her hand to get a high five from Chloe. 

“Wait, is this the Emily that you met on Tinder?” Beca asks. 

Aubrey saves telling Beca to stay out of it again for later. “Yes.” 

“The one you were gonna be friends with benefits with?”

“Chloe, how much did you tell her?” 

“You know I tell Becs everything, right baby?” Chloe coos. 

“Yes, Chlo.” Beca rolls her eyes at Chloe’s baby voice. Aubrey glares daggers into Chloe. “Yell at her later, I’m not done. One question. Have you fucked yet?” 

“That’s none of your damn - ”

“Wait, Aubs,” Chloe gasps. “Have you really not yet?” 

“I didn’t say that.” 

“But you haven’t?” Beca raises an eyebrow. 

“...No,” Aubrey says finally. “We haven’t. We’re just taking things slow and enjoying hanging out with each other.” 

“That is perfectly fine. When you’re dating. Most friends with benefits don’t usually take sex slow. Or were you unaware what the benefits part meant?” Beca tilts her head condescendingly which makes Aubrey want to knock her off of the stool she’s sitting on. 

“The first half of friends with benefits is  _ friends _ . We’re just working on that part first.” Aubrey argues. Weakly, she tells herself. But honestly, she’s kind of forgotten that her original intentions were just to find someone to have stress relieving sex with. It’s probably because she hasn’t felt as stressed in the past month. 

Probably just because she’s been studying more efficiently. 

“Sure,” Beca snorts. “You’re going out to a fancy dinner that required reservations with your  _ friend.  _ Dressed in a tight black dress. Sounds like a date to me.” 

“Are you wearing that matching lace set too?” Chloe asks, joining in Beca on the teasing. “Oh, I always make sure to put on my best lingerie when I go out with my friends to dinner.” 

Aubrey’s face flushes. But she’s saved when she feels her phone vibrate. She smiles slightly when she sees who it’s from, but then immediately panics because she’s definitely going to be late now. She throws a hasty goodbye over her shoulder as she slams the door shut on Beca and Chloe, who are both still laughing at Aubrey. 

Whatever. Aubrey forgets about them when she gets to the restaurant and sees Emily waiting for her, grinning wide as always. 

//

Emily’s lips press against Aubrey’s greedily, smiling against her as they stumble into Aubrey’s bedroom. Emily pushes Aubrey gently to the bed, hiking her own tight dress up a little so she can straddle Aubrey’s lap. 

Aubrey has been thinking about this moment for weeks, and actually physically kissing Emily Junk is way more exciting than she ever could have anticipated. Her lips are warm and soft and inviting and Aubrey doesn’t want to stop kissing her. 

Then all of a sudden Emily stops kissing her. Aubrey almost lets out a pathetic whine, but it gets caught in her throat as Emily starts kissing down Aubrey’s jaw and neck instead. She feels Emily stop again, and is about to protest but Emily’s face has turned nervous. 

“Em?” Aubrey asks, breathing a little heavy. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah. It’s nothing.” Emily chews on her lip. “Okay, maybe not nothing. I just...Before we do anything, I wanted to ask you something.” Aubrey nods for her to continue, reflexively moving to take Emily’s hand in her own. “Would you be my girlfriend?” 

Aubrey stays silent for a moment, until the realization of what Emily just asked her hits and she can’t help but laugh a little at the irony of all of this. Emily, of course, is oblivious to Aubrey’s turmoil the last month and just looks at her with confusion. 

“I...you’re laughing?” 

“Oh no, it’s not you,” Aubrey reassures her, still grinning at the ridiculousness. Emily tilts her head for an explanation. Aubrey gives Emily the brief version. “When I first matched with you, I kind of was only looking for hookups for a distraction from school. But then, I guess us going on... _ dates  _ became my distraction. So, this is all just ironic, I guess. Chloe is going to have a field day when she finds out.” 

“Oh,” Emily mulls this over for a minute. Her thumb strokes over Aubrey’s hand while she’s processing. “Well, I’m glad I could give you a distraction, even if it’s not what you were looking for.” 

“You were a way better distraction than what I was looking for.” Aubrey says and leans forward slowly, hoping Emily meets her in the middle. She smiles when she feels Emily’s lips against her own again. 

“Wait,” Emily pulls back again. “Is your answer yes or no to the girlfriend thing? I’m totally okay with hooking up either way, but like, I wanna get a proper feel for the mood, y’know?” 

Aubrey laughs again and pulls Emily to lie fully on top of her. “Yes, Emily. I’d love to be your girlfriend.” 

After another minute of making out, Emily stops kissing her  _ again.  _ Aubrey briefly considers breaking up with her right then. 

“You know, if you think about it, a girlfriend  _ is  _ a friend with benefits.” Emily grins down at Aubrey, clearly proud of herself. “Benefits like going on cute dates, posting gross couple photos on Insta, bringing each other flowers…” 

“Shut up and kiss me, idiot.” 

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me on tumblr @rosadiaznypd


End file.
